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The Reception: Dances for All to Enjoy

There are many dances involved with a wedding reception. When planning this party, it’s important to consider all your options. They don’t all have to be incorporated in this time, but they are all great ways to share a moment with your loved ones.

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First Dance

It’s traditionally expected to see the bride and groom share their first dance together as a married couple during the reception; when specifically they take the spotlight isn’t. Some choose to move directly to their first dance after being announced and others wait until after a cocktail hour. Timing aside, it’s important for the bride and groom to decide on a song that they would want to call “their song.”

Father Daughter Dance

This is a sweet moment for the father of the bride and his daughter. After giving away his little girl at the altar, this man deserves a chance to share a moment with her. This dance can mean many things to many people because of how we all have very diverse families, so choosing a song may be difficult. It is a bittersweet moment and one that won’t be forgotten.

Mother Son Dance

The father of the bride gets to express his love for his daughter during the wedding ceremony as he gives his bride away and during the reception as he shares a dance with her. What about the mother of the groom? The groom honors his mother during the reception by dancing with her to a song just for them. It can be just as emotional as the father daughter dance because of the relationship they share.

Anniversary Dance

This is a fun one for all married couples at the reception. The song isn’t really as important to this dance, but what happens during the song is what makes it special. It starts when DJ invites all the married couples to the dance floor. Then as the song goes along, he or she calls out numbers of years and couples leave when a year longer than their marriage is announced. At the end of the song only those who have been together the longest will still be dancing. It’s a sweet way to recognize relationships that have lasted the test of time.

Dollar Dance

This dance is a fun way to spend time with your guests and make some money doing it. It is very popular and has a long history dating back to European immigrants coming into America. History aside, this is how it works! First, the bride and groom enter the dance floor. Second, guests line up (males by the bride and females by the groom) to dance with the couple. However, this opportunity comes at a price, at least one dollar. The bride and groom can either collect the money in a purse or bag, or they can have the maid of honor and best man collect it for them. Each guest gets roughly 15-20 seconds with the bride or groom, normally a slow song is chosen for this. This dance can be a time consumer if you let it, so use it carefully!